Wringer



Jan. 3l, 1939. c'. K. SKINNER 2,145,740

WRINGER Filed Nov. 25, 1936 49 4J a Y A l Inventow Charles Kk'mner is ttorneg.

Patented Jan. 31', 1939r PATENT ,OFFICE wnrNGEn charles x. Skinner, General Electric New York Southport, Conn., assigner to Company, a corporation of Application Novmber as, 1936, semi No. 112,670

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to clothes wringers of the type having a control bar extending across the upper wringer roll.

The object of my invention is to provide animproved construction in wringers of this type, and particularly to provide a wringer in which the control bar normally occupies la position adjacent the upper roll so that it serves as a guard.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the wringer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the plate containing the cam slot used for shifting the driving gears for the wringer; Fig. 5 is an end elevation, partly broken away, of the clothes wringer showing the parts in the position in which pressure is applied between the rolls; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the control bar moved away from the upper roll; Fig. '1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing another construction for supporting the control bar; and Fig. 8` is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

For the purpose lof illustration, I have shown my invention .applied to a wringer of the type shown in Patent No. 1,906,406, Perkins.

Referring to the drawing, the wringer has a frame having side stiles I and 2. The side stile I is fixed to a wringerhead 3 having a depending tubular portion 4 for pivotally supporting the wringer on the wringer post 5 of a domestic washing machine. The'bottom member of the wringer frame comprises a bar 3L bolted to the wringer head and to the side stile 2. The end ofthe side stile 2 is covered by a cover plate 3b suitably xed thereto. The tubular portion 4 of the wringer head is provided with a spring- ,pressed detent 6 which is adapted to t in any one of a series of spaced openings 1 ina collar 8 xed to the wringer vpost to lock the wringer in a xed position with respect to the wringer post. Through the wringer post extends a wringer drive shaft 9 which is continuously rotated, for example, by the mechanism (not shown) used to drive the washing machine. -The shaft 9 projects beyond the upper end of the vwringer post 5 and on its projecting end is fixed a pinion I which is adapted to mesh selectively withV one of are welded to a sleeve I2 which is splinedl on a. shaft la'. -The 1eftendcfthe 'shaft la is roa pair of crown gears .I-I ,The crown gears II rotates in a bearing I1 in boss'I1 on the side stile I and 'serves as a support for this end of the shaft I3. The gears II are shifted by a yoke I8 which fits over the gears and is pivoted at its left end on the boss I and at its right end on 5 the shaft I 3. Thrust washers I9 are arranged between the yoke I8 and outer faces of the gears I I. On the top side of the yoke I8 is iixed a plate having a cam slot 2I therein (see Fig. 4) which co-operates with a screwed into the wringer head. With this construction, it is obvious as the yoke I8 is pivoted about the shaft I3 the pin 22 will co-operate with cam slot 2I to move the yoke I8 to the right or left so that one of the gears I I meshes with 15 the driving pinion I0, thus controlling the direction of rotation of the shaft I3. When the driving pinion I0 meshes with one of the gears I I, the pin 22 rests in one of the portions' 23 of the cam slot 2|.

The lower and upper wringer rolls 25 and 26 areY carried between the side stiles Il and 2. The lower wringer roll 25 is xed to a shaft 21, the right end of which is carried in a bearing 28 in a roll guard 29 which is pivoted in an arcuate portion 30 of the side stile 2. At the left end of the rolls is another roll guard which is piv.- oted on the boss I1". Both roll guards have inwardly extending flanges 29* which overlap the ends of the wringer rolls and keep the clothes being wrung from passing 'beyond the ends of the rolls. The left end of the shaft 21 terminates in a coupling 3| having a'pin 32 xed therein, the projecting ends of which extend within cooperating slots .in the clutch member I6. The left end of the shaft 21 is supported by a cylindrical portion 33 of the coupling 3| which extends i within va depression 34 In the clutch member I6.

. The upper wringer roll 26 is rotatably carried on a shaft 35 which is fixed at each end to a vertical extending lever 36. The levers 36 are provided with .bosses 31 which fltin open-ended slots 38 in the pivoted roll guards`29. Above the bosses 31 are projections 31'l having recesses into which are pressed theshanks 40 ofcam members 39. The cam members 39 co-operate with rollers 4I which are pivotedy on castings 42 slidably carried in the side stiles I and 2. Each of the castings l42 is providedy with bosses 44 which are held against projections on the side Stiles I and 2 by coil-springs arranged between, the lower edge of the projections 45 and theheads of bolts 41 whichare threaded into thebossesA 44. The ,bolts 41 also serve as guides for guidingthe .movement of the castings 42 with respect to the pin 22 which is 10A side stiles. When the levers 36 are in the vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the cam members 39 are between the rollers 4|. There is sufcient space between rollers 4i vso that the upper roll may be lifted out oi' the frame by upward force applied to the levers 36. The levers 36 are connected by a hollow control bar 48 which 'telescopes over the .projecting ends 49 of the levers. 'Ihe control bar 48 and the levers 36 are connected by lost-motion connections which comprise hinge members 58 pivoted between the forked ends i of the levers 36 and pins 53 secured across the side walls of the control bar 48 which fit in open-ended slots 52 in the hinge members 58. With this construction, the control bar 48 can have a limited vertical movement, as shown in Fig. 6, without moving the levers 36. When the control bar reaches the position shown in Fig. 6, further upward movement of the control bar is prevented by the striking of the hinges against the top wall of the control bar. 'I'he control bar normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 1 in which its lower edges are adjacent the upper surfacev of the upper roll 26. In this position, it serves as a guard which prevents the jamming of the operators hand between it and the upper roll. If the control bar remained in this position throughout the operation of the wringer, clothes which became wrapped around the upper roll would become wedged between the roll` and the lower edges of the control bar resulting in damage to the clothes; This danger of damage to the clothes is eliminated by the support for the control bar which permits the control bar to move away from the wringer under the pressure of clothes which might become wrapped around the upper roll.

'Ihis construction has the additional advantage of improving the appearance of the wringer due in part to theI fact that the control bar normally occupies a position close to the upper roll and that the control bar is hollow and therefore conceals the connections between it andi the levers 36. y

The support for the control bar also serves to connect the levers 36 so that they are moved by movement of the control bar toward or away from the operator. From one aspect, this movement of the control bar can be considered as a lateral movement with respect to the axes of the rolls. This lateral movement of the control bar causes the cam surfaces 39 on the levers 36 to be moved under the rollers 4I; as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the bosses 31 on the levers 36 are wedged against cam surfaces 54 on the castings 42, thereby creating a pressure which forces the upper roll 26 against the lower roll 25. The pressure between the rolls is determined by the tension of the coil springs 46. In this position, the edges of the control bar are normally adjacent the upper surfaces of upper roll so that it serves as a guard. Since the bosses 31 t in the slots 38 in the roll guards 23, the roll guards are pivoted from the central position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 5. This movement of the roll guards is used tol control th-e driving connection to the wringer since the roll guard adjacent the yoke I8 is connected thereto by a key 55. The roll guards 29 are also provided with projections 56 which t in slots 51 in the drainboard 58. The drainboard is provided with arcuate bearing surfaces 59 which pivotally support the drainboard on boss 68 on the side stile 2 and boss 6I on the wringer Vheit?! 3'. It is, therefore, apparent that the pivotal move- When the control bar 48 is moved toward the operator, as shown in Fig. 5, pressure is applied between the wringer rolls, the rolls arestarted rotating in the proper direction to wring clothes from the side facing the operator, and the drainboard is' tilted to drain the water wrung from the clothes toward the operator. When the control lever is returned to the neutral position, shown in Fig. 3, the pressure between the rolls is released, the rotation of the rolls is stopped, and the drainboard is returned to the horizontal position. When the control bar is returned to the neutral position, there is a tendency for the upper roll to jump out of the wringer frame. 'I'his tendency is prevented by hinged members 66 which extend over the projections 3la on the control levers 36. When the hinged members 66 are pivoted to one side, the upper roll may be reronoved by a lifting force applied to the control In Figs. 'l and 8 is shown a modication of the support for the control bar or guard member 48. In this construction the control bar 48 has brackets 6'3 secured thereto which slidably support the control bar on pins 6'2 threaded into the control levers 36. The control bar is biased to its lower position by coil springs 64 arranged between the upper side of the brackets 63 and washers 65 on the pins 62. With this construction, the control bar normally occupies the position in which the edges are adjacent the upper surfaces ol' the roll. If the clothes become wrapped around the roll, the sliding connection permits the control bar to move outward so that undue pressure is not exerted on the clothes.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by I Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and a control member extending Y across the upper roll, means for supporting the control member whereby it normally occupies a position adjacent the upper roll so that it acts as a guard, said supporting means permitting the control member to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented and permitting lateral movement of the control member with respect to the axes of the rolls, and means operated by movement of the control member laterally with respect to the axes of the rolls for controlling the'wringer..

2. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and an elongated hollow guard extending across the upper roll with its edges adjacent the surface of the upper roll, means eX-l tending within the guard for supporting the guard, said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented and permitting lateral movement of the guard with respect to the axes of the rolls, and means operated by movement of the guard laterally'with respect to the axes of the rolls for controlling the wringer.

3. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and members pivoted at' each end of the rolls, a guard, means for supporting the guard on said members whereby it normally occupies a position adjacent the upper roll, said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage and lower rolls and a control vmember extending axes of the rolls,l and means operated by pivotal movement o f said members for 'controlling the wringer. i y 4. lIn a wringer having a frame carrying upper yand lower rolls and a control lever, means actuated by the control lever for controlling the wringer, a guard, means for supporting the guard whereby it normally occupies a portion adjacent the upper roll, said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothesy ,wrapped around -the upper roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented, and means connecting the guard and the control lever whereby the control lever is moved to control the wringer by movement of the guard laterally with respect to the axes of the rolls. l

5. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and a control lever, means actuated by the control lever for controlling the wringer, a hollow guard telescoping over said control lever whereby the control lever is moved to control the wringer by movement of the guard laterally with respect to the axes of the rolls, and means for supporting the guard whereby its edges are normally adjacent the surface of the upper roll,/said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved outward away from the roll by the `pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll wherebydamage to the clothes is prevented. 6. In a wrlnger, a wringer frame, a lower roll journaledl therein, an upper wringer roll, means for supporting the upper roll for allowing it limited bodily movement around the lower roll, means for adjusting the upper roll to various positions including a member rotatably carrying the upper roll, a guard, means for supporting the guard on said member whereby it normally occupies ak position adjacent the upper roll, said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved away vfrom the upper roll by the pressure of clothes wrappedaround said roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented, said supporting means iurther serving as a connection between the guard and said member lwherebysaid member is moved by movement of the guard laterally with respect tothe axes of the rolls, and means operated by movement of said members for controlling the wringer.

7. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper across the .upper roll.means for supporting ythe control member whereby it normallyoccupies a position adjacent the upper roll so that it acts as a guard, said supportingmeans permitting the control member to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage tothe clothes is prevented and permitting movement of the control member in directions other than toward and away a from the upper roll, and means operated by movement of the control member in directions other than toward and away from the upper roll for controlling the wringer.

8. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and an elongated hollow guard extending across the upper roll with its edges adjacent the surface of the upper roll, means extending within the guard for supporting the guard, said supporting means permitting the guard tube moved away from the roll by the pressure rof clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented and permitting movement of the guard in directions other than toward and away from the upper roll, and

Ameans operated by movement of the guard in whereby it normally'occupies a portion adjacent the upper roll, said supporting means permitting the guard to be moved away from the roll by the pressure of clothes wrapped around the upper roll whereby damage to the clothes is prevented, and means connecting the guardand the control lever whereby the control lever is movedv to control the wringer bymovement of the guard vin .directions other than toward -and away from the upper roll.

l0. In a wringer having a frame carrying upper and lower rolls and a control lever, a means actuated by the control lever for controlling the wringer, an elongated hollow guard having edges vtelescoping over said control lever whereby the 

